# Immersive reading and retention **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 20, 2019, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immersive-reading-and-retention/845133 "2019-12-20T06:05:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Namonlocke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3bc359/32.png) [@Namonlocke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namonlocke)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2019, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immersive-reading-and-retention/845133/1 "2019-12-20T06:05:08Z")
Has any one studied whether immersive reading -reading and listening to the text at the same time - has an impact on retention? I am interested in solid research, not intuition. ---
**Author:** ![ALOHA\_HATER](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/76d3ee/32.png) [@ALOHA\_HATER](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ALOHA_HATER)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2019, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immersive-reading-and-retention/845133/2 "2019-12-20T06:32:39Z")
Sorry, what the fuck? “Immersive reading?” I’ve never heard of this and I’m sure that few of us have. I’m trying to figure out what’s fishy about this post, but it must be SOMETHING given it’s their first post. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2019, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immersive-reading-and-retention/845133/3 "2019-12-20T11:37:28Z")
I punched the term into Google Scholar. The first hits were patents, and not really having to do with how the term is defined here. It appears to not be a general term of art. But I’m searching on my phone and may have missed something. ---
**Author:** ![Namonlocke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3bc359/32.png) [@Namonlocke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namonlocke)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2019, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immersive-reading-and-retention/845133/4 "2019-12-20T13:08:12Z")
Thanks. I should have thought of that. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2019, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immersive-reading-and-retention/845133/5 "2019-12-20T13:14:13Z")
Is that when you read in the bath? Does the book have to be immersed as well? ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2019, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immersive-reading-and-retention/845133/6 "2019-12-20T13:30:40Z")
It’s a Kindle ‘thing’. > [@](#): > > Immersion Reading takes you deeper into a story than ever before! This functionality allows you to read a Kindle eBook and listen to its professionally narrated Audible companion Audiobook – all at the same time. Not only that, but you get the benefit of real-time highlighting, making Immersion Reading a valuable tool to boost reading comprehension and overall retention of content. > > [https://audible.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a\_id/5176/~/what-is-immersion-reading%3F](https://audible.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/5176/~/what-is-immersion-reading%3F) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2019, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immersive-reading-and-retention/845133/7 "2019-12-20T13:42:58Z")
**[Moderating]** > [@ALOHA\_HATER](#): > > Sorry, what the fuck? “Immersive reading?” I’ve never heard of this and I’m sure that few of us have. I’m trying to figure out what’s fishy about this post, but it must be SOMETHING given it’s their first post. Which is, presumably, why the OP helpfully defined the term for the rest of us. If you don’t know the answer to a GQ, then just don’t answer. This is a Warning for threadshitting. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2019, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immersive-reading-and-retention/845133/8 "2019-12-20T15:31:57Z")
[https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244016669550](https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244016669550) > [@](#): > > Additional analyses showed that both males and females in each condition recalled an equal amount of information, regardless of whether they listened to an audiobook, read from an electronic tablet, or both listened and read simultaneously (dual modality). I’ve not checked their methodology; the distribution of quality of education studies is . . . broad. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2019, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immersive-reading-and-retention/845133/9 "2019-12-20T15:38:19Z")
There is research in education on a similar subject. I don’t know what the research showed or what they are calling the study, but there was a belief that learning material through different methods improved retention. So they would have people read on a subject, hear a lecture on the subject, and write down themselves the material, although not simultaneously. I do know this technique worked wonders with my younger son, but obviously repitition will help retention, the different methods may not matter.